Vehicles are often fitted with racks for carrying cargo boxes, recreational equipment mounts, and various other types of load carriers. These vehicle racks may include crossbars, rails, or other elongate structural members extending over the roof of the vehicle or adjacent the rear of the vehicle. For example, typical roof rack systems include longitudinal rails running parallel to the length of the vehicle, with one or more crossbar members extending between the longitudinal rails. Load carriers are often attached to the rails or crossbars of a vehicle rack by using a connecting device.
Rails and crossbars for vehicle rack systems are provided in an increasing range of shapes, sizes and rotational orientations in order to accommodate a widening array of aesthetic and functional requirements. A connecting device designed to fit a certain bar or range of bar shapes or sizes might not be compatible with other bars having other shapes, sizes or rotational orientations. Accordingly, a load carrier manufacturer might provide various connecting devices for use with different shapes, sizes and rotational orientations of rails and/or crossbars. This means that the manufacturer incurs additional costs associated with manufacturing various connector devices, and retailers incur the additional costs associated with stocking the various connector devices. Logistics of selecting appropriate mounting hardware at the point of sale may also be a complicated process. Furthermore, a consumer may need to purchase a different type of connector device for each vehicle or rack on which the consumer desires to mount a particular load carrier.
Vehicle roof racks are often used for carrying boats such as canoes or kayaks. One type of vehicle roof rack for carrying boats is generically referred to as the J-cradle. J-cradle boat racks include a J-shaped mount that is often configured to hold a boat, such as a kayak, on an edge, typically at a slight inclination from the vertical. The slight inclination of the boat assists a user in steadying the boat while it is strapped to the rack. An example of a J-cradle boat rack is shown in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. 2006/0289577, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
In some examples, load-carrying members for use with a crossbar mounted to a vehicle roof may include a body and an arm pivotably mounted to the body. The body may have a load-bearing surface and may be configured to engage the crossbar and retain the load-carrying member proximate the crossbar. The arm may be configured to pivot, about an axis that is transverse to the crossbar, between a first position, in which the arm is proximate the load bearing surface, and a second position, in which the arm is transverse to the load-bearing surface.
In some examples, load-carrying members for use with a crossbar mounted to a vehicle roof may include a body configured to support a load, a pair of spaced apart mounting blocks, and a clamping member. The pair of spaced apart mounting blocks may be disposed on the body and configured to engage the crossbar. The clamping member may be connected to the body and disposed between the pair of spaced apart mounting blocks. The clamping member may be configured to engage the crossbar in opposition to the pair of spaced apart mounting blocks to selectively secure the body to the crossbar.
In some examples, load-carrying members may be configured for securing or carrying a boat on a vehicle roof and may include a body and an arm pivotably attached to the body. The body may have a load-bearing surface configured to support a lateral edge of the boat. The arm may be configured to pivot, about an axis that is transverse to the crossbar, between a first position, in which the arm is proximate the load bearing surface, and a second position, in which the arm is transverse to the load-bearing surface. In the second position, the arm may be configured to support the boat in a transverse orientation relative to the roof.